8:40 PM, May 30, 2014

Detroit Free Press Business Writer

The City of Detroit has agreed to provide documents outlining the role that former Mayor Dave Bing played in Detroit’s bankruptcy to a major bond insurer that has sought to undercut the city’s restructuring.

The city today said in a court filing that it has agreed to provide documents, including e-mails, from Bing, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones and Detroit Police Chief James Craig to bond insurer Syncora.

The concession was negotiated to resolve a document dispute with Syncora, which has aggressively fought Detroit’s bankruptcy because it could lose up to $250 million on the case.

The documents could surface during a major trial set to start in late July, after which Judge Steven Rhodes will decide whether to approve the city’s restructuring plan.

Jones Day bankruptcy lawyers, who represent the city in Bankruptcy Court, said they would deliver “voluminous” documents by June 20. The files are expected to include e-mails from Jan. 1, 2013, through April 16, 2014.

Bing’s power was drastically reduced in March 2013 when Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Kevyn Orr as the city’s emergency manager. Jones routinely fought against state intervention even before the city-state-approved consent agreement in early 2012, and up to the appointment of Orr. And much of the restructuring money will be used for public safety, hence the request for Craig’s records.